How To Hard Refresh Browser And Clear Cache Using Windows Or Linux

Ever wondered why, sometimes, when you make changes to your website it won't show unless you're in incognito or on a different device?

Why is my website not showing my changes?

When changes are made to your website they may not register immediately to your browser. You can hard refresh your browser so you're not pulling your website from your browser's memory. If that doesn't work, you can clear your cache.

Why does my browser cache my website?

Caching increases website performance, such as speed. It allows for a page you've previously visited to load more quickly however when you make changes to your website it can be a pain to see them.

Do you have a Mac computer? We have instructions on how to hard refresh the browser and clear cache on MacOS too. Click here.

Quick find:

Google Chrome browser

Microsoft Edge browser

Mozilla Firefox browser

Internet Explorer browser

Google Chrome

How to hard refresh on Google Chrome on Windows or Linux

1. Hold down Ctrl (Control) + Shift + R.
2. Or, hold down Ctrl (Control) and click the Reload button on Google Chrome.
3. Or, hold down Ctrl (Control) and press F5.
4. Or open Chrome Dev Tools by pressing F12 and right-click the Reload button. Then, click Hard Reload.

How to clear cache on Google Chrome on Windows or Linux

1. Launch Google Chrome and click the Chrome menu icon represented by three horizontal bars in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
2. Click More Tools and then Clear Browsing data near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
3. Click Clear Browsing Data.
4. Here you can select the time period for which you'd like to delete cache data. You can choose between the last hour, the last day, the last week, the last four weeks, or all data. If you want to delete all cache data, select all. 
5. Make sure the Cached Images and Files button is also checked.
6. Click the Delete Browser Data button.
7. Reload your site.

 Microsoft Edge

How to hard refresh Microsoft Edge on Windows or Linux

1. Hold Ctrl (Control) + Fn (Function) + F5 on your keyboard.
2. Or, hold Ctrl (Control) on your keyboard while clicking Microsoft Edge's Refresh button.

How to clear your cache on Microsoft Edge on Windows or Linux

1. Hold Ctrl (Control) + Shift + Delete on your keyboard.
2. A new window will open. Select the Privacy, Search, and Services option.
3. Confirm your selection by clicking on the Clear Now Button.

Mozilla Firefox

How to hard refresh on Mozilla Firefox on Windows or Linux

1. Hold down Ctrl (Control) + Shift + R.
2. Or, hold down Ctrl (Control) and press F5.

How to clear your cache on Mozilla Firefox on Windows or Linux

1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences.
2. Select the Privacy & Security panel.
3. In the Cookies and Site Data section, click Clear Data.
4. Remove the checkmark in front of Cookies and Site Data.
5. With the checkbox for Cached Web Content checked, click the Clear button.
6. Close the Preferences page. Any changes you've made will be automatically saved.

Internet Explorer 11

How to hard refresh on Internet Explorer 11 on Windows or Linux

1. Hold down Ctrl (Control) and press F5.
2. Or, hold down Ctrl (Control) and click the Refresh button.

How to clear your cache on Internet Explorer 11 on Windows or Linux

1. Click on the cog icon in the upper right corner of the browser and open the Safety menu.
2. Select Delete Browsing Data.
3. In the new window, remove all checks in checkboxes except for Temporary Internet Files and Website Files.
4. Click the Delete button to empty the browser cache.
5. Reload the page.